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??? Beaufort County Community College has been approved to offer course work in the field of Health and Fitness Science, a field that will provide many job opportunities for area residents, college officials announced this week.
??? Courses in the new Health and Fitness Science Program are scheduled to begin in August through BCCC's Allied Health Division.
??? "The Health and Fitness Science Program will provide a new career path for those in our area who are interested in a health services career," said Dr. Barbara Tansey, BCCC president. "As in other health services careers, jobs are in high demand for health and fitness science workers in several settings."
??? The Health and Fitness Science Program will be part of the Allied Health curriculum at BCCC that includes Associate Degree and Practical Nursing, Medical Laboratory Technology and Speech Language Pathology Assistant. BCCC also offers Emergency Medical Technician basic through paramedic, Health Unit Coordinator, Therapeutic Massage, Pharmacy Technician and Nurse Aide courses through its Division of Continuing Education.
??? The program will prepare graduates to be fitness trainers, aerobics instructors, corporate wellness directors, personal trainers, recreation workers and wellness coaches, among other positions.
??? "There is a real need for these professionals in many settings locally and statewide," said Ron Baldwin, lead instructor for the program. "As more attention is being paid to health issues - including the increase in childhood obesity nationwide - there is an increased interest among businesses and industry in wellness programs and an increase in the number of commercial fitness clubs. This has led to an increased need for professionals to work in this field."
??? Students in the program will need two years to complete the course work, after which they receive an associate in applied science degree in health and fitness science. An associate's degree in the program requires 66 credit hours and includes coursework in anatomy and physiology, exercise science, group exercise instruction, health and fitness law and prevention and care of exercise-related injuries, among other courses.
??? The first classes offered in the program are expected to be Exercise Science and Spa and Fitness Management, according to Baldwin.
??? More information about Health and Fitness Science is available by contacting Baldwin at 252-940-6278 or by email at ronaldb@beaufortccc.edu. Registration for Health and Fitness Science classes for Fall Semester 2013 will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 14. The first day of class will be Thursday, Aug. 15.
??? For more information about enrolling for classes at BCCC or to schedule a placement test, contact the Admissions Office at 252-940-6237. Applications are available on the BCCC website at www.beaufortccc.edu.
??? Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations via AP
Edin Sakoc during his arrest Friday in Burlington, Vt.
By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC News
A naturalized U.S. citizen living in Vermont pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he lied on his citizenship application about gruesome war crimes he is accused of having committed 21 years ago during the Bosnian war.
The man, Edin Sakoc, 54, who lives with his wife and a 6-year-old daughter in Burlington, Vt., was being held by U.S. marshals pending a court appearance Monday at which a judge will decide whether to release him pending trial.
The grand jury indictment, which was unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, alleges that Sakoc, a Bosnian Muslim, kidnapped and raped a Bosnian Serb woman and abetted the killings her mother and aunt in July 1992 ? only three months into what would become a 3?-year bloodbath as ethnic and religious factions fought over the remains of the former Yugoslavia.
That's not what he's charged with, however. The indictment formally charges him with two counts of failing to disclose the alleged crimes, first in 2004 when he applied for legal permanent residence and again in 2007 when he applied for and was granted U.S. citizenship.
If convicted, Sakoc could be sentenced to as long as 10 years in prison, fined as much as $250,000 and lose his U.S. citizenship.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn't answer a call seeking an explanation of how U.S. investigators learned about the allegations against Sakoc. The indictment was kept under seal until Friday to protect agents and sources, indicating that he was possibly identified by an informer.
Sakoc's court-appointed attorney told reporters after Friday's hearing that he had no comment but that he expected his client to be released Monday after turning in his U.S. and Bosnian passports.
The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia in March 1992. The next month, armed conflict broke out between Bosnian Serbs and a loose coalition of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats. The conflict spread to other former Yugoslav republics, leading to the deaths of at least 140,000 people by the time peace was brokered in December 1995, the International Committee of the Red Cross estimated in 2010.
In July 1992, the indictment alleges, Sakoc and an unnamed co-conspirator kidnapped a Bosnian Serb woman from the home where she and her elderly mother and aunt had taken refuge in the town of Capljina. Sakoc assaulted and raped the woman and took her to Dretelj, a nearby prison camp where Bosnian Serbs were tortured or killed during the war, it says.
A few hours later, Sakoc and his partner returned to the home, where the unnamed second person shot and killed the woman's mother and aunt, the indictment alleges. They then burned the women's bodies and torched the house, it says.
In a statement, Bruce Foucart, the special agent in charge of ICE's office for Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, said, "Alleged human rights violators who believe they can find a safe haven in the United States are sorely mistaken.
"Even if they take on a different identity in an effort to protect themselves from prosecution, they will be discovered and they will be brought to justice for their crimes," he said.
Watch the top videos on NBCNews.com?
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By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With the Obama administration poised for a huge public education campaign on healthcare reform, Republicans and their allies are mobilizing a counter-offensive including town hall meetings, protests and media promotions to dissuade uninsured Americans from obtaining health coverage.
Party officials, political analysts and lobbyists say the coming showdown will mark a new phase in the years-old battle over healthcare reform by shifting the focus from political ideology to specific examples of how "Obamacare" allegedly falls short, just as the administration presses the public on its benefits.
President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy is the first major social program to face a highly organized and well-financed opposition years after enactment. The forces arrayed against it could undermine the aim of extending health coverage to millions of uninsured people at affordable rates, if not enough younger adults sign up to make it economically viable.
Political analysts say Republicans hope to use the healthcare issue to win a bigger majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and gain control of the Senate in the 2014 mid-term elections, by leveraging the law's unpopularity to send voters to the polls in key swing states.
"The best way to get the juices of that right-wing electorate and activist group going is to attack Obamacare - make everything that happens look awful and voters will rebel against it," said Norman Ornstein, an expert on congressional politics at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
"It's a belief that if they highlight this, and sabotage it as much as they can, and if it's disruptive, that that will work for them in the mid-terms."
The White House and Department of Health and Human Services are well aware of their opponents' political maneuvers.
"There are folks out there who are actively working to make this law fail," Obama said in a speech on Wednesday, condemning the opponents' effort as "a politically motivated misinformation campaign."
The administration, reform advocates and companies including health insurers are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on an education campaign to reach an estimated 7 million people, including 2.7 million young adults aged 18 to 35 who are expected to sign up for subsidized coverage next year.
A new political playbook for Republicans in the House encourages lawmakers who have voted nearly 40 times to repeal or defund the law to showcase their concerns at town hall meetings and special forums with like-minded young adults, healthcare providers and employers.
"Make sure the participants will be 100 percent on message," the House Republican Conference's August planning kit advises for events with businesses. "While they do not have to be Republicans, they need to be able to discuss the negative effects of Obamacare on their employees."
Obama's 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is also due for public attack at town halls featuring Democratic lawmakers, where Tea Party activists plan to air their opposition under an initiative by FreedomWorks, the Washington-based grassroots lobby that helped found the movement.
The planned campaign against the law promises to accelerate an already ugly partisan battle, analysts say. Until now, the opponents' message has amounted to unanswered Republican advertising painting the healthcare law as bad for the country.
"You'll start to see that change, because Democrats won't be able to overlook it anymore," said Elizabeth Wilner, who monitors political advertising at Kantar Media's Campaign Media Analysis Group.
WHAT IF THEY LIKE IT?
Political analysts say the Republican onslaught could prove short-lived. Beginning on October 1, Obama's health reform will help millions of uninsured people buy subsidized health insurance for the first time. Should enough people sign up by the time enrollment ends in March, the law's value as an election issue may run dry.
"The fear is that the law will start to work and people will like it. They'll like having insurance, a safety net if you lose your job. Then Republicans are stuck with it," Ornstein said.
One Republican ploy is to target the law's individual mandate, which requires most Americans to have insurance in 2014, or pay a penalty. It is the only lever the government has to require the participation, but it is also unpopular with voters. Republicans have sought to stoke discontent since the administration delayed a separate requirement that larger employers provide insurance coverage for workers.
"They'll start to feel impacts that are completely in contrast to what they were told when the bill was passed. That's what we're seeing in internal polling from districts that will determine control of the House - Obamacare becoming more unpopular," said Daniel Scarpinato, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Republicans need a net pickup of six seats to win control of the Senate next year, and their most likely path is to focus on Democratic-held seats in Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia, according to the Cook Political Report. All are Republican-led states that went to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012 and most have done little or nothing to help implement the healthcare law.
"The Republican strategy is to focus on messages that this is not working in states where the law is still unpopular with voters and where there are really going to be competitive races," said Robert Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health.
FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity, a conservative issue group financed by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, known for funding conservative causes, are planning separate media and grassroots campaigns aimed at adults in their 20s and 30s - the very people Obama needs to have sign up for healthcare coverage in new online insurance exchanges if his reforms are to succeed.
"We're trying to make it socially acceptable to skip the exchange," said Dean Clancy, vice president for public policy at FreedomWorks, which boasts 6 million supporters. The group is designing a symbolic "Obamacare card" that college students can burn during campus protests.
Americans for Prosperity launched a $1 million TV ad campaign against the healthcare law this summer to test its message in swing states of Virginia and Ohio. The 30-second ad presents a young pregnant mother who asks questions that suggest the law will raise premiums, reduce paychecks, prevent people from picking their own doctors and leave her family's healthcare to "the folks in Washington."
The group plans a bigger push on TV and social media to persuade young people, especially men under 30, to see the healthcare law as a high-cost liability directed at them.
"This is a good time to be out there explaining what the law means to people," said the group's president, Tim Phillips.
Crossroads GPS, the political group co-founded by former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove, is designing a fall push aimed at elderly voters angered by Republican allegations that the Medicare program for senior citizens is being used to pay for the healthcare law.
"As people who previously didn't believe they would be affected by it are finding out that they will be affected by it, there may be some traction to repeal the worst parts of the law and eventually repeal the law entirely," said Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio.
(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Fred Barbash and Mohammad Zargham)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-prepare-obamacare-showdown-eye-2014-elections-110828613.html
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I made a styled google map and I want to use some visualization Geocharts. Can I use both simultaniously?
html, body, #map-canvas { margin: 0; padding: 0; height: 100%; } </style> <script src="https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?v=3.exp&sensor=false"></script> <script> var map; var mateo = new google.maps.LatLng(37.53, -122.343);
var MY_MAPTYPE_ID = 'custom_style';
function initialize() {
var featureOpts = [...MY STYLE...]; var mapOptions = { zoom: 10, center: mateo, mapTypeControlOptions: { mapTypeIds: [google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP, MY_MAPTYPE_ID] }, mapTypeId: MY_MAPTYPE_ID }; map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map-canvas'), mapOptions); var styledMapOptions = { name: 'Custom Style' }; var customMapType = new google.maps.StyledMapType(featureOpts, styledMapOptions); map.mapTypes.set(MY_MAPTYPE_ID, customMapType); } google.maps.event.addDomListener(window, 'load', initialize); Now, I also want to use Visualization, GeoCharts
<html> <head> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://www.google.com/jsapi'></script> <script type='text/javascript'> google.load('visualization', '1', {'packages': ['geochart']}); google.setOnLoadCallback(drawRegionsMap); function drawRegionsMap() { var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([ ['Country', 'Popularity'], ['Germany', 200], ['United States', 300], ['Brazil', 400], ['Canada', 500], ['France', 600], ['RU', 700] ]); var options = {}; var chart = new google.visualization.GeoChart(document.getElementById('chart_div')); chart.draw(data, options); }; </script> </head> <body> <div id="chart_div" style="width: 900px; height: 500px;"></div> </body> </html> Thanks,
I would ideally like to have my map style and another style setting for all the selected countries. Thanks
Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17797043/google-maps-styled-visualization-geocharts
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By NBC Bay Area staff
The estranged wife of a California limo driver involved in a fiery accident that killed five women on the San Mateo Bridge over San Francisco Bay said her husband was talking to her on his cell phone and was distracted just minutes before the limo burst into flames on May 4.
Rachel Hernandez-Brown said she was arguing with her husband on the phone just minutes before the Bay Area bridge tragedy.
And she?s raising concerns that he was too distracted to react quickly when the limo burst into flames.
"I said, I started yelling, ?Oh my God, turn it down, turn the friggin music down!?"
Rachel Hernandez-Brown told NBC Bay Area that her husband, Orville Brown, even turned up the music as she argued with him on the phone so the women in the back of the limo couldn?t hear them fighting.
"He cussed, he was cussing me out and saying ?I can?t really talk because I have clients in the car and I can?t be unprofessional.?? Then that?s when I said, ?maybe you need to pay attention to the road and leave me alone and do your job.'"
What remains unclear is whether an argument slowed his response when one of the passengers started pounding on the closed partition.
A new bride and four of her friends died in the May 4 fire on the San Mateo Bridge. The cause of which is still under investigation.
Four other women escaped.
Survivor Nelia Arellano told NBC?Bay Area in a May 6 interview that Brown was on the phone when the limo was filling with smoke.
"There is smoke and then the fire came out. Stop the car, stop the car! "
In an interview with NBC Bay Area's Cheryl Hurd just days after the fire, Brown expressed grief for the victims, and later, his attorney denied that Brown was on the phone at the time of the fire.
Brown said a language barrier and a misunderstanding prevented him from pulling over sooner.
Brown says: "I?m thinking that she?d like to smoke because they weren?t panicking."
Hernandez-Brown described a volatile relationship with Brown, saying they split up a month before the fire, and earlier, on the day of the fire, police were called to a Walgreens parking lot where the two had argued--and Brown allegedly kicked his wife?s car.
When reached by phone on Sunday by NBC Bay Area, Orville Brown responded to his estranged wife?s claims by saying, ?I have no comment, other than [to say] there will be a full investigation.?
Hernandez-Brown says investigators still have not contacted her.
NBC Bay Area spoke with the San Mateo County District Attorney's office on Sunday, and they said that they would be following up on Hernandez-Brown's claim.
A viewer sent NBC Bay Area the below video from the scene. He said he had no idea people were trapped.?
?
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Click chart for more markets data.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
Eye on tech: Several major tech companies will report quarterly results, including Netflix (NFLX), Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), AT&T (T, Fortune 500), Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) and Zynga (ZNGA).
The financial performance of these companies always garners a lot of attention. But investors are even more keenly awaiting them this time, because they come close on the heels of poor earnings reports from Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) last week, which dragged the Nasdaq down 0.3%.
Related: Microsoft plunges 11%, worst day since 2009
Other earnings: McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500), Ford (F, Fortune 500), General Motor (GM, Fortune 500)s and Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500) will also report earnings. Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) will also release results, and investors will be listening closely to executives for any additional explanations on the spate of incidents, including fire, on its marquee 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Housing in play: The housing market will be in focus, as well, this week. The FHFA housing price index, new home sales,home sales and MBA mortgage index are on tap throughout the week.
Home sales, home prices and construction have been on the rise so far this year, helped by low mortgage rates and a drop in foreclosures. In the last 10 weeks, however, mortgage rates have been climbing steadily, raising the cost of buying a home for potential buyers, even though rates are still low by historical standards.
Related: Scary times hit mortgage shoppers
Last week, The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 ended a fourth straight week of wins. The S&P closed at yet another record high on Friday. 
First Published: July 21, 2013: 11:14 AM ET
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/money_news_international/~3/ousB71rcw04/index.html
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Product Type: Apple Tablet PCs / eBook Readers
Newest Review:?... the one charger for both. With the extensive range of apps available from the Apple Store, the iPads possibilities are endless!... more
I received the iPad with retina display as a birthday present and after setting up and playing around with the basics, I was already addicted! The iPad has almost completely replaced my pc, which I now only use when I need flash player! It also looks great - so sleek and shiny and sexy! The iPad is slim and light, making it very portable and easy to fit into your handbag or briefcase.
Perfect for surfing, the wifi is quick, the google search bar is handy and bookmarking is a doddle. The touch screen has just the right amount of sensitivity and the on screen keyboard is just the right size (my partner is usually complaining that touch screen keyboards are too small but this poses no problem for his big hands!). Of course, for those who do have trouble typing, the iPad has a clever little feature which converts speech into text - this can be used for anything from updating your Facebook status to word processing.
The 5MP iSight camera (on the back) is better than any I have previously encountered, and the 1080p HD video is perfect for watching movies. FaceTime is simple, with the front camera capable of 720p HD video and excellent microphone so your loved ones can see and hear you clearly as you chat to them from afar!
Battery life is good, and doesn't take forever to charge. I love that the lightning connector can be inserted any way up, but I do wish it had the same 30 pin connector as my iPod touch so I could use the one charger for both.
With the extensive range of apps available from the Apple Store, the iPads possibilities are endless!
Summary: Definitely worth the price paid!
Source: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/handheld-pda/apple-ipad-with-retina-display-wi-fi/1716476/
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By Suzannah Hills
|
It's a difficult conundrum faced by many countries around the world - how to produce enough food for an ever-increasing population when land and space is rapidly running out.
But it appears China may have come up with an answer with its plans for space-saving vertical farms.
They may look more like tower accommodation blocks usually found in big cities, but these 187-metre-high skyscrapers would only be used to grow vegetables and fruit.
Because of China's limited room for farming, there are plans to create these imposing vertical structures which provide food while saving land space
The plans to build in the vertical farms in Tai Po, Hong Kong, come after the country's rapid urban expansion in recent years which has seen much of its usable farmland disappear.
?
Despite still having one of the largest agricultural outputs - feeding 20 per cent of the world's entire population, only 15 per cent of all its land is suitable for farming and only around 1.2 per cent permanently supports crops.
And with its cities expanding in size by ten per cent annually since 2000, its farmland is becoming increasingly under threat.
This coupled with the world's ever-expanding population has led to fears of future face food shortages action isn't taken soon.
Despite being state of the art, the towers are inspired by traditional Chinese rice farming's amazing shifting terraces
But Spain-based architectural firm JAPA believes its model could solve this problem with its Dyn-net or Dynamic Vertical Networks model.
This would be a series of high-rise towers located on the outskirts of cities that could supply the food needs of the metropolis.
The structures would be made out of lightweight yet high tensile materials using as many recyclable resources as possible.
The shifting floors of the structure, inspired by China's traditional rice farms, means each ring of the building can change its position to best suit the plants, such as making them receive the maximum amount of sunlight or moisture.
The farming towers will create more agricultural land space by building upwards and using cutting-edge technology to grow as much produce as efficiently as possible
The system would also use hydroponics to grow produce, using little to no soil at all, and would even have labs to better monitor growth and nutritional value of the crops.
Visitors would be allowed into the building so they can learn more about local agriculture and get to witness the 360 degree panoramic views each platform offers.
The buildings could put an end to China?s difficulty in finding enough arable land to farm, which has been a problem throughout its history, leading to chronic food shortage.
Although China's agricultural output is the largest in the world, only about 15 per cent of its total land area can be cultivated enough to keep up with the population
While the production efficiency of its farmland has grown over time, efforts to expand to the west and the north have held limited success because of the colder and drier climate than its traditional farmlands to the east.
Since the 1950s, China's farm space has also been under pressure by the increasing land needs of industry and cities.
The company has suggested Tai Po District in Hong Kong which is the second largest administrative district and has a surrounding unused area of some 14,800 hectares in the northeast New Territories, as the idea site to test the farming skyscrapers.
The firm believes the structures would be able to feed the entire population of the surrounding Kowloon-Hong Kong area.
Not only will the towers provide food but also spectacular 360 degree viewing platforms and spaces to research on farming techniques
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Sports Illustrated is launching a standalone football website, MMQB, tomorrow morning. The site?s name comes from star Sports Illustrated writer Peter King, who writes a weekly column, Monday Morning Quarterback. King says a range of NFL personalities, from Tom Brady to Joe Namath, and celebrity football fans like Olivia Munn will contribute to the site in the first few weeks.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2V7CE0m4RBU/
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Italian animal-rights activists gather outside the Gammarelli shop in central Rome to protest at its use of animal fur and leather to make the pope's garments. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
Animal fur may remain fashionable on catwalks, but lord mayors and other senior council figures in England have been happy to eschew haute couture by dropping its use or going faux.
A check in the wardrobes of civic leaders has revealed eight do not have robes with fur, five use clothing with synthethic fur, and other authorities are reviewing their practice.
The survey of 23 lord mayors was carried out by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), which is still awaiting answers from some, including Roger Gifford of London.
Peta's associate director Mimi Bekhechi said: "It's important that public figures set a positive example, and by saying no to fur, these mayors have made it clear that animals deserve respect.
"Animals raised for fur suffer every day of their lives before they endure a painful and terrifying death."
The office of the lord mayor of Plymouth, Vivien Pengelly, said she had two sets of robes. "The black and gold robes, which are used for major civic or ceremonial events do not have any fur. The red robes are due to be refurbished and will be embellished with a fake fur band".
Officials in York said: "We are in possession of a number of older ceremonial robes worn by the sheriff of York and honorary aldermen, which do have some very old fur trim. However, the sheriff's robe is due to go for refurbishment, and the fur trim will be replaced with a synthetic fur, as is our policy.
"In addition, last year we acquired a new ceremonial cap of maintenance which is worn by our sword bearer ? This was a brand new commission and was made with synthetic fur. Any future purchases and refurbishment of old robes and ceremonial wear will continue in this way, as we support animal rights fully."
In Hull, the lord mayor's red robe is trimmed only with gold braid, Peta was told, but six older red robes worn rarely by other senior council members were trimmed by fur. "We are unable to replace these at the present time as we have no funds available, but if and when we do, will certainly consider using faux fur," a council official said.
The survey came after the mayor of Wrexham, David Bithell, neither a "lord" nor in England, abandoned his gown with muskrat after being questioned by a Peta supporter.
Peta said most Britons opposed real fur. "So strong is our moral objection to cruelly killing animals for their skin that parliament passed an act banning fur-farming more than a decade ago. If council leaders wear fur-trimmed robes, it not only goes against British values but also diminishes the meaning of the ban."
Some designers, such as Stella McCartney, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, do not use fur but the British Fur Trade Association (BFTA) said 400 worldwide did. "Those who include fur, which is over 75% of all major fashion brands, do so because it enhances their business." Such designers were "more than satisfied" by the welfare standards of the industry.
BFTA's members trade more than ?1bn worth of animal fur a year, including with China, Hong Kong, Russia and other EU countries, while UK retail fur sales have increased by 30% year on year. Global sales for 2011-2012 totalled US $15.6bn (?10.2bn), according to the International Fur Trade Federation.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/21/animal-fur-england-mayors-robes
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By Maayan Lubell
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will not bow to the Palestinians' demand on the borders of their future state before peace talks begin but will meet their request for the release of some prisoners, Israeli officials said on Saturday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Israel and the Palestinians had laid the groundwork to resume talks after an almost three-year stalemate, but that the deal was not final and required more diplomacy.
Remarks made on Saturday by Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz suggest the sides still face major stumbling blocks before negotiations can resume, however.
Yaalon said in a statement that Israel "had insisted it would enter negotiations with no preconditions which included the Palestinian demand on the 1967 borders ... and that is exactly what is happening now."
The Palestinians say the talks must be about establishing a future state in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, with borders approximating the boundaries that existed before Israel captured those territories in a 1967 war.
Steinitz said there had been no Israeli concession on that point nor on the Palestinian demand that Israel halt all construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
"There is no chance that we will agree to enter any negotiations that begin with defining territorial borders or concessions by Israel, nor a construction freeze," he said.
A senior Palestinian official with knowledge of the talks suggested the Palestinians would not back down. "Our position remains clear: resumption of negotiations should be based on the two-state solution and on the 1967 borders."
Kerry said on Friday that the deal between Israel and the Palestinians to resume negotiations was still being "formalized" but that negotiators for both sides could begin talks in Washington "within the next week or so".
In his first public comments since Kerry's announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the apparent progress but did not indicate what steps Israel would take to ensure that the talks resume, if any.
"The resumption of the peace process at this time is a vital strategic interest of Israel. It is important in itself to try and end the conflict between us and the Palestinians and it is important in light of the challenges we face from Iran and Syria," Netanyahu said in a statement on Saturday.
Israeli lawmaker Tzachi Hanegbi, a confidant of Netanyahu, suggested the United States could have found a formula that would avoid the 1967 border issue torpedoing resumption of negotiations.
"The talks should be possible when both sides feel they have not conceded their basic positions. The Americans are entitled to say whatever they want. For instance, they could say that they think the talks should be based on the 1967 borders, but that this does not bind us," Hanegbi told Israel Radio.
"I suppose they will also say that the goal of the negotiations is to reach a deal in which the Palestinians recognize Israel as Jewish state, something that at least at the moment the Palestinians are unwilling to accept," Hanegbi said.
PRISONERS
Palestinians have also long demanded that Israel free prisoners held since before 1993, when the two sides signed the Oslo Accords - an interim deal intended to lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"In all meetings held by President Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) with minister Kerry and others, the Palestinian demand to release the prisoners topped the agenda," said Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdaineh. "Freeing prisoners is a Palestinian priority that should precede any agreement.
Steinitz indicated that some of those who would be released had been convicted of violent crimes against Israelis.
"There will be some release of prisoners," Steinitz told Israel Radio. "I don't want to give numbers but there will be heavyweight prisoners who have been in jail for tens of years ... it will not be simple, but we will make that gesture." Steinitz said. "
The release would be carried out in phases, he added. It was unclear if any prisoners would be released before talks began. Some Israeli officials have said prisoners would only be freed after negotiations were underway.
There are 103 pre-Oslo prisoners in Israeli jails, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, a Palestinian body that looks after the interests of inmates and their families.
Israeli and Palestinian officials told Reuters on Friday the talks would take months to unfold. Steinitz said the Palestinians had agreed to enter talks that would take between nine months to a year.
He said this would stop the Palestinians from taking unilateral steps at the U.N. General Assembly in September, when they had planned to seek recognition for their statehood in the absence of direct talks with Israel.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy told a news conference on Saturday: "We support serious talks to take place with a set and precise time frame."
Kerry's drive to relaunch the peace talks was endorsed this week by the Arab League, which potentially holds out the prospect of a broader regional peace with Israel upon the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Arab League's own peace proposals, launched over a decade ago, foundered on the issue of a return to 1967 borders, but it confirmed on Wednesday it had shifted its position to countenance "limited exchange of territory of the same value and size."
Such a formula could allow Israel to keep large settlement blocs it has said should remain in Israeli hands in any future peace deal.
(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; and Yasmine Saleh in Cairo; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-palestinians-still-odds-over-borders-ahead-talks-174138711.html
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As the world becomes increasingly connected, and increasingly digital, marketers (and small business owners!) are becoming more and more data driven. What do we mean by that? Simply that the decisions being made around websites, marketing, and even product offerings are based more on the numbers, and less on educated guesses and gut feelings.
While instincts and expertise are certainly still incredibly valuable, the ability to collect, interpret, and respond to data can offer big advantages. These data can be collected in different ways, each offering different benefits.
Quantitative research involves sampling a larger number of respondents and looking at the same questions or variables for everyone so that they can all be analyzed together to give a big picture. Qualitative research is more person-centered, focusing on individual feedback and experiences to gain a different type of insight about a problem or challenge. Today we?re going to talk about qualitative research options for improving your website?s performance.
One of the most effective and efficient ways to gather qualitative intel about your website is through user testing. To conduct user testing, you submit your site through a service to a selected number of reviewers who then go through and use your site for the first time and offer you feedback on the areas you request about their experience.
The advantages of doing user testing this way (instead of through your colleagues or friends) is that the results will be more accurate and reflective of reality. Colleagues will likely have been looking at the site with you for awhile and might be swayed by things they?ve heard you say about it, or because they?re familiar with your business, they will not run into any issues that strangers might. Friends will be biased because they won?t feel that they can give you their honest opinion about your site. Strangers, however, rarely have this problem sharing their true opinions. Also, with some services, you can see the participants actually moving through your site, so you might pick up on things that they themselves don?t even think to report to you. Why did their mouse pause so long over that button? How long did it take them to find your ?about us? page? Did you detect any frustration in their voice?
Once you?ve conducted your round of user tests, you can compile the observations and make some real, informed decisions about changes and optimization of your website. Ready to get started? Online marketer Nick Gowdy (FreedomVoice.Com) offers the following 5 recommendations for successful user testing:
1. Invest in a good number of users
2. Don?t take it personally
3. Don?t overreact
4. Give your own feedback on testers.
5. Shop multiple usability services
To Gowdy?s last point, there are quite a few providers out there that can offer various levels of service depending on your budget and your preferences. One of the best values is the popular (and aptly named) site, UserTesting.com. It?s not the cheapest solution on the market, but it?s a great value because of the richness of feedback that you get. They have a lot of great testers, you can watch and listen as the testers move through your site, and the price tag is still relatively low. Other sites, like FeedbackArmy.com, are less expensive and offer written feedback from testers, which is still valuable, but you are relying on the tester?s own ability to analyze and report every aspect of their experience.
Another option for evaluating the usability of your website is through heatmapping tools like CrazyEgg.com. which we?ve discussed previously.
Have you ever tried user testing for your website? If so, what was your experience like? Let us know in the comments below.
About the Author: Sarah Matista is the Online Content Specialist and resident blogger at Webs. Loves branding, marketing, whales. Get more from Sarah on Webs? Blog and Google+.
Source: http://www.webs.com/blog/2013/07/19/build-a-better-small-business-website-through-user-testing/
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File photo
Wisconsin Energy CEO Gale Klappa
Wisconsin Energy Corp. said it will accelerate a planned 4.25-cents-per-share quarterly dividend increase to the second half of 2013 from the first quarter of 2014.
The Milwaukee-based public utility company?s (NYSE: WEC) board declared a quarterly cash dividend of 38.25 cents per share, Wisconsin Energy said Thursday.
The higher quarterly dividend raises the company?s annual rate to $1.53 per share from $1.36 per share. The dividend is payable Sept. 1 to stockholders of record on Aug. 14.
?Today?s action by our board of directors is underscored by the company?s sound financial position and positive free cash flow,? said Gale Klappa, Wisconsin Energy?s chairman, president and CEO. ?This marks yet another positive step toward making our dividend payout more competitive with our peers across the utility industry.?
The company?s board also reaffirmed a policy that targets a dividend payout ratio trending to 65 percent to 70 percent of earnings in 2017.
Rich Kirchen is The Business Journal's senior reporter. He covers health care, insurance, politics, media and marketing/advertising.
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Source: http://www.facebook.com/cappers.picks.online/posts/10151573526757462
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And that elevated rate of brain cancer is statistically significant, though the analysis had certain limitations and the pattern easily could be due to chance, said Penn?s Timothy R. Rebbeck.
?These figures suggest that there?s an elevated risk of brain cancers in the baseball players compared to the general population,? said Rebbeck, a professor of epidemiology at Penn?s Perelman School of Medicine. ?You can?t rule out the possibility that it?s random bad luck.?
Comparing cancer rates
The analysis then compared the rate of Phillies? brain cancers over that period with the rate of similar cancers in the adult male population, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and a 2011 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The national rate was 9.8 cases per 100,000 adult males per year, while the rate in the former Phillies was 30.1 cases per 100,000 - about 3.1 times as high. The national count included various kinds of glioma, such as glioblastoma - the aggressive form of cancer that struck all four former Phillies.
With Rebbeck?s assistance, The Inquirer then calculated that this 3.1 figure had a 95 percent confidence interval of 2.1 to 4.1 - meaning that the elevated rate appeared to be statistically significant. In lay terms, that means if one were somehow able to replay that 33-year period 100 times, you would expect the players? brain cancer rate to be 2.1 to 4.1 times higher than that in the adult male population 95 times out of 100.
Assumptions
But Rebbeck cautioned that the analysis required making certain assumptions that could substantially change the outcome.
For example, the population of Phillies from 1971 to 2003 was not adjusted for age. The rate of brain cancer varies with age, so when comparing populations, it is important that they have the same distribution of people in various age groups. The Phillies in the analysis range in age from their 30s to their 70s whereas the national population number includes men above and below that.
Furthermore, the nationwide brain cancer number for the 33-year period was based on cases counted in 2004 to 2007. A better approach would be to use the exact number of adult male brain cancers for each year from 1971 to 2003, as the cancer rate has declined slightly over time.
Thanks to Benway.
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